


I wanna ruin our friendship (we should be lovers instead)

by triggered_lizard



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Artist Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Attempted Kidnapping, Bisexual Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Canon-Typical Violence, Carl Manfred & Markus Parent-Child Relationship, Domestic Fluff, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay Simon (Detroit: Become Human), How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, Pacifist Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Past Abuse, Protective Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Resolved Sexual Tension, Simon (Detroit: Become Human) Backstory, Touch-Starved Simon (Detroit: become Human), Why?, because he deserves the love, ralph has 15 boyfriends, they deserve happiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:37:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24720145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/triggered_lizard/pseuds/triggered_lizard
Summary: (Title inspired by the song Jenny by Studio Killers)Markus and Simon had pined after each other for months but convinced themselves that their feelings wouldn't be returned. They dropped hints, but it just seemed like the other was oblivious to it. After a failed equipment run they found themselves stuck in an abandoned theme park with androids who were deeply in love.Was this the time to spill their secrets?
Relationships: Carl Manfred & Markus, Jerry(s)/Ralph (Detroit: Become Human), Josh & Markus & North & Simon (Detroit: Become Human), Markus/Simon (Detroit: Become Human)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 64





	1. Biocomponents

Simon had secrets. Almost too many to be contained within one person. He knew he could never trust anyone enough to share them, so he kept them inside like an angry itch that wouldn’t resolve no matter how hard one scratched back. It tore on his system and broke down his mind. Every time he had met someone he had started to trust, the feelings boiled inside of him, contents on the verge of spilling.

But he couldn’t tell anyone. If they knew, they could turn against him. Maybe he was overreacting, or maybe he was even underreacting. Yet he didn’t want to take the risk and trusting that someone would understand or want to keep him as their friend. 

Keep it together Simon, he told himself as the leading members of Jericho sat together in the small space of the Fregat. His body swayed on the metal floor as he tried to listen to what Markus was saying. He still hadn’t recovered fully after being left at the Stratford Tower, nor giving his thirium pump to Markus at the Freedom March.

Markus had come back after the police had left and given him a new heart, just in time before he would have shut down for good. He had other damages, but he refused help from the other androids. There were others who needed more urgent help than him. 

Markus proposed a plan to him, but he had zoned out from the conversation. “Hmm?” he looked up from the yellow stripe on the control panel he had been staring at and met the heterochromatic eyes. 

“Simon, are you alright? You’ve been slightly off these past days,” Markus pointed out. Simon quickly shrugged it off, telling the man he was just tired. Markus didn’t buy it though, and he told the others to leave them for a moment. He gestured for Simon to sit down in the controller’s chair as he sensed his legs hurt. 

“You need to get that checked out,” Markus gestured to Simon`s legs. His tone seemed more worried than it should.

“They don’t hurt anymore,” Simon tried to reassure, but the other just shook his head and told him to stand up and walk in a straight line. Unsure, Simon rose from his chair. His legs were wobbly, so he put all his focus and energy into walking 3 meters. How hard could it be?

He pushed himself off the chair and immediately tumbled to the ground. Only, he didn’t hit it, as firm arms held him just inches from the ground. He opened his tightly shut eyes and met Markus’s. “You need to get them fixed Simon. You can’t go on like this,” Markus said as he set him down in the chair again.

“I’ll get it fixed when everyone else is okay,” Markus did not meet his eyes but instead landed on his chest. The bullet wound was not visible with his new clothes, but Markus was attentive, so of course, he knew. “That too.”

Without any warning, he got hoisted into the air and got carried in Markus’s arms. “We’re going now, whether you like it or not,” Markus carried him to the door and had no problem opening it, even with Simon in his arms. The two androids who were patiently waiting outside gave them a weird look. 

“We will be right back,” Simon muttered in embarrassment, hands clinging tightly to Markus’s jacket. He knew the other android would never drop him, but it was better to be safe than sorry. 

Markus carried him to their makeshift hospital wing. Simon had disagreed with him the entire way down, insisting there was nothing wrong. Markus just ignored him and continued walking until he had alerted a few androids to come to help them. 

They got everything up quickly and started the repairs. Luckily, he didn’t need to remove his leg and install a new one. He only needed some wirework fixed and a few other minor repairs. 

“There is a bullet wound in his chest,” Markus informed the androids as they had started to wrap up the repairing session. They immediately pulled out new equipment to patch him up, but Simon was intent on keeping his shirt on. He tugged at the sleeves like a little child and his eyes darted around for an escape. 

Markus, who had refused to leave his side crouched down beside him. “It’s alright Simon, we are soon done,” another android commented. He was also a PL600 android, but had other clothes than him, as he sported a pink uniform instead of Simon’s borrowed clothing. 

Markus found the resemblance uncomfortable. To him, there was only one PL600 android, but he had to face the fact that there were thousands out there who looked just like his friend. There was only one Simon though, as he refused any other android of his kind to be named Simon. 

_His Simon_

He gazed up at his friend, who got instructed to remove his shirt and skin. Simon hunched over himself, eyes fixed on the metal rods holding the bed up. 

“Simon?” Markus placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort, but it seemed to do the exact opposite than being calming. Simon jerked away from his touch, wide eyes meeting his with furrowed brows. 

Simon immediately softened up when he remembered where he was. “Sorry,” he muttered, and went back to his crouched position. 

“Hey, there’s no need to apologize,” Markus reassured him. He stood up and moved to the headboard of the bed to avoid being in the way for the helping androids. Simon laid down again and closed his eyes as the androids patched him up. 

“This may hurt,” an MC500 warned him. Only seconds later he felt a sharp sting from his chest as they extracted the bullet and soldered the hole shut. He instinctively reached out for Markus’s hand that was resting beside his head. Markus met him halfway and let Simon clench his hand for support. Mere seconds later, the pain was almost gone. The sting was still there, but the supportive hand in his made him forget all about it. 

“Are you alright?” Markus leaned over him and met his eyes again. 

His eyes were beautiful.

Simon blinked and looked away. He felt his face creep with a blush, but he tried to resist it. His hand flinched away from Markus’s touch and he struggled to get his shirt on again. 

“I-I’m fine, Markus. Thank you,” he hopped off the table and tested out his legs. They were still shaky, but he assured the other that he would be fine in time. Markus still slung an arm around his waist to stabilize him and told him to not complain about being helped. 

.................

By the time they had reached the control room, Simon had insisted at least 30 times he was fine to walk on his own. Markus didn’t believe him, of course, and only tightened his grip on Simon's waist for each time he insisted. 

Josh and North were arguing inside, clearly having opposite views on how their protest should proceed in the revolution they had created.

“The humans won’t listen to us, Josh! We have to fight if we want to achieve something and we have to do it soon!” North hissed out, but Josh shook his head. 

“We can’t North! They are going to kill us if we try something more. Markus has already caused the humans to go against us, we can’t risk more of us getting killed,” Josh turned to Markus and Simon, who watched them from the door. 

They both spoke at the same time about their own ideals, but Markus was not listening to any of them. He was more focused on keeping the man beside him stable on his feet. When North and Josh figured he wasn’t listening, they went back to arguing with each other. 

“What do you think Simon?” he asked his friend instead. Simon glanced up at him with doe eyes and smiled. 

“When the time comes, I trust you to make the best decision. I’ll be there to guide you if needed.”

That was what he liked with Simon. He would never project his views before thoroughly analyzing what everyone else was suggesting and putting ideas together to create a better plan. The only time he would ever yell was when trying to break the angry tension between North and Josh, and even then he would try to do it calmly. 

Markus always felt safe when he was with Simon, whether it was at the front of a demonstration, or in a quiet room at Jericho. Simon was programmed to be a domestic assistant and had to be kid-friendly, calm, and caring for others.

That was all that it was. In his programming. Markus was foolish to think he was special in Simon’s eyes. Of course, he wasn’t. Simon cared for all of them equally. 

But there were times where he picked up small hints that their feelings might be mutual. Markus knew, from all the research he had done, that he might have fallen in love. He was still unsure since he wasn’t good at reading his own feelings yet. What he was sure of was that he felt differently for Simon than all the other androids he had met. 

He knew North looked at him in the same way he was looking at Simon. He found her attractive, but not a potential partner. She was too violent, but if she had changed her ways, he would’ve given her a chance. Right now, he had Simon. Calm, pretty, doe-eyed Simon.

Even if Simon didn’t feel the same way, he would still keep him close. They were friends after all, and Markus appreciated the connection they had. 

Simon made him feel whole. He had no idea what that meant, yet it felt right.

He needed Simon by his side, but they couldn’t do it alone. 

In the background, North and Josh had agreed that they needed to have some kind of equipment run before trying anything to stand against the humans. If anything would arise during their protest, they would have biocomponents ready to save as many as possible. 

At least their arguing had resulted in something good. 

.........................

Now that they had a team, it would be less risky to find spare parts. They could have people on lookout, distracting guards and disabling security cameras, instead of them having to go alone. Markus had joined North to find crates with blue blood, as it was what they needed the most. 

North was better at fighting than most of them, so they could get things quicker. The area they were in was patrolled heavily, so in that situation, they had to be quick.

Simon and Josh had taken to finding specific parts they had noted as missing, such as wires, biocomponents, and body parts. They stole a truck so they could transport everything back to Jericho easier. They had learned from past mistakes. Carrying everything was not ideal, and the probability of failure skyrocketed.

Markus leaned over a crate, trying to spot the entrance to the security room. Because of their newfound reputation, the security had been heavily upgraded. They had to be careful, as a single misstep could end their revolution for good.

“We need to kill the guards if necessary, Markus,” North swung a half-full bag of thirium over her shoulder. Markus would rather do anything else than kill them, as that would send the wrong message to the people. He wanted a peaceful revolution to show humans they meant no harm, and only wanted equal rights for androids.

“Well, lucky for us that it won’t be necessary,” Markus leaped forwards and tackled a guard to the ground. He didn’t want to kill him, only knock him out and drag him away from the open area. “Take the cameras. I’ll get the guards,” North nodded and ran in the opposite direction, scanning for cameras and shooting the lenses as she ran. 

He found an emptied container and set the guard down in a corner. He scanned him to see if he had done any damages, which he hadn’t. Maybe a bruise, but nothing more. 

When the guards around the area had been knocked out, he opened his duffle bag to fill it up with things they needed. It had been easier than he had anticipated, but a lingering thought that something might be wrong buzzed in his mind. It had been too easy.

He filled his bag and threw it over his shoulder, starting to walk back to where they had planned to meet. Simon and Josh would be there soon with a truck, but he felt like by how smooth everything had gone, they should have been there by then. 

North dropped her bag onto the ground and tapped her thigh impatiently. She furrowed her brows before groaning. “The guards are going to alert the police if they don’t hurry up.” They hid behind a few containers where Simon had said for them to wait, but there were no signs of activity.

She connected wirelessly to one of the cameras she had hacked in the area where the trucks were. A blurry image showed 3 people, and North could only recognize Josh. She assumed the two others were guards, but they just stood still with no attempt to move.

“I think Josh is in trouble,” North grabbed her bag and gestured for Markus to follow her. They rounded the west side corner of the warehouse and spotted the man in question. The guards were aiming guns at him. Josh had fortunately remained calm enough for them to not open fire. 

One of the guards spotted them and pointed his gun in their direction. Markus set his bag down and raised his hands to show he meant no harm. North followed, she looked furious. 

“We’re leaving,” Markus informed them, seeming as non-threatening as possible. The guard seemed to hesitate for a moment, before lowering his weapon, urging the other to do the same. 

“Leave your bags right there and don’t come back!” He warned. As to not cause any potential uproar, they left their bags and fled the area. 

Something was missing though, and it was not the important biocomponents they had just lost. No, it was a certain PL600. Markus’s eyes darted around the area but couldn’t find the blonde anywhere within his field of view. 

Josh had gone with him, so surely he would know where the android went. “Where’s Simon?” Josh shot him a glance and furrowed his brows. 

“I thought he went with you?” he admitted awkwardly. None of them had seen him after entering the warehouse. They had all thought he had run off to find a truck, but something must’ve happened along the way, as the trucks were not far from the storing-containers. 

“Well, we can’t go back now. They’ll kill us, Markus!” North stopped Markus’s train of thought, but it had unfortunately started just as quickly as it had ended.  
Before she was able to stop him, he had already turned on his heels and sprinted into the warehouse again. 

“MARKUS!” North yelled, but it was too late. Markus had already disappeared between crates of synthetic body parts. “Damn it Markus!” she cursed to herself. 

………………

Markus had no idea where to start searching for Simon. The area was huge and had way too many hiding spots. For all he knew, Simon could’ve left already. Or worse, gotten busted by the guards. 

He would have called him, but he knew the warehouse had new equipment installed that could pick up the radio signals and report directly to Detroit police if anything got detected. He couldn’t connect to the cameras either since North had disabled the last ones before they left. 

Instead of trying to search every crevice of the warehouse, he displayed a map over the area on his HUD. If he could find where the trucks were, there was a probability that he could find Simon there. Hopefully, only a minor inconvenience had occurred, such as not being able to start the vehicle. 

Markus didn’t want to think about the worst-case scenario.

He spotted the row of vehicles in the back of the warehouse, but what he did not see was Simon. He scanned the area for any heat differences. It would be easier to see if any of the trucks had been attempted to have been turned on recently. If it had, Simon would probably be nearby.

A truck in the far left corner showed a slight increase in its core heat. Markus kept his profile low as he approached it. There were footsteps vaguely visible in the snow, and he recognized them as Simon’s, unless someone had the exact same shoes and shoe-size as him, which was unlikely. 

They had rested in place there but had gone in the opposite direction. Markus went on to follow them, tracing the footsteps with his own. 

After about 200 meters, the prints stopped in front of a container. The lock had been cut off and it had been opened recently. He recognized the container as a pre-assembled androids shipping crate. Inside would fit around 60 androids, but there was no sign of said androids anywhere. Even the ground lacked marks of someone having exited it. 

“Strange,” Markus muttered to himself, examining the way the lock had been snapped. It had clear indents of fingers on the bow, and it looked like it had been torn with sheer force. Simon wasn’t that strong, was he?

Behind him, fabrics were shuffling softly. 

“Oh, Simon there you are….” his words were cut short by the cocking of a gun. 

Behind him stood one of the guards from earlier with a gun pointed straight at him. In his other hand, a head. 

Thirium dripped onto the snow and stained it in a vibrant blue. Markus’s heart dropped. 

Baby blue eyes stared back at him, a sad expression on his face. 

“This is your fault, Markus.” The head’s voice was filled with static. 

“Simon…” Markus felt the anxiety grow in his chest. 

“You abandoned me, again.”

“I’m so sorry Simon. I never wanted to leave you up there,” Markus felt tears roll down his cheeks as he reached out for the head. A quick scan told him he had been fooled. The android wasn’t Simon. 

The guards gun pressed against his temple. “I told you not to come back here asshole,” the guard warned, dropping the head onto the snow. Even though Markus knew it was just a random PL600, the resemblance tore at his heart, thinking that it could’ve been Simon. 

“I’m searching for my friend. He is a PL600, identical to that one,” Markus slowly pointed to where the discarded head laid, holding in a shiver. “He got left behind.” `again` he refrained himself from adding. The memory of being forced to leave Simon on the roof still haunted him whenever he went into standby mode. 

The man hesitated, before lowering his gun, but still kept it fairly available in case he needed it. “Come with me,” he started walking back where Markus had come from. 

In hindsight, he regretted following the guard, as soon after he got pushed into the back of a truck surrounded by guards.

They put him in handcuffs but refrained from putting the blindfold on him. On the opposite side, Simon sat huddled against the corner while a guard loomed over him. Markus saw he was shaking and told himself he would give the guard hell if he dared touch his friend again. 

Out of spite, he waltzed over to where Simon was sat and gently patted him on the shoulder. He tensed for a moment but recognized the touch and eased up. Markus sat down next to him and sent the guard a death-glare, telling him to simply **_fuck off_**.


	2. shelter our hearts

And so, they sat alone in the back of a car.

They had no idea where they were going, but they knew it had to be somewhere military, as the people around them were dressed in high-tech uniforms and bore professional weapons. 

Simon nudged his arm and found his hand, weaving them together. “You trust me, right?” he whispered as he rested his head on Markus’s shoulder. 

Markus’s heart was beating _fast_ , but he told himself that Simon was just scared and needed comfort from the other android. “O-of course I do, Simon. Unless you give me a reason not to?” Simon tensed up at the remark, hunching over further. Markus made a mental note to ask about the habit later. 

“I have something I’ve been meaning to tell you for a long time now. I guess you could call it a secret of sorts…” Markus urged him to go on, even with how uncertain Simon looked. Markus could feel his system start to heat up, yelling for him to just confess that he felt the same. Still, there was a curiosity and mutual uncertainty that tugged on his mind. 

“I’ve never told anyone, in fear that it would cloud their judgment if I said something. I don’t want to be seen differently than who I am now.” Simon raised his head from Markus’s shoulder to look at him straight in the eyes. There was so much pain in his eyes, and Markus wanted nothing else than to take it all away. “I trust you more than anyone Markus, so I want to tell you that I…”

“Open the door!” 

Soldiers stormed in and grabbed them both. Markus fought back with everything he had, but the soldiers had him in a death grip. He tried tackling them from behind, but to no avail. 

“Simon!” he screamed as he couldn’t see his friend anymore. He scanned the area and saw Simon being pressed up against a truck with a gun against his head. 

“If you fight back, we’ll kill him,” a soldier warned. Markus gave up immediately. He had to make sure Simon was okay. He watched as his friend get brought to his knees, gun still positioned at his temple. 

“Please don’t shoot him,” Markus plead. Simon tilted his head to look at him, still scared that the guard would shoot him if he moved. Fear was present on his face and he silently begged Markus to save him. 

“We have been ordered to get the location of Jericho,” a guard informed him. If they wanted to go to Jericho, why had they been led all the way into no-man’s land? Markus was sure they were way further away from Jericho now than they had been when they attempted their little _stunt_. 

Markus hesitated. He could always lie, but he knew nothing good would come out of it. At the same time, people could get hurt if the soldiers knew of their hideout. He didn’t want anyone to suffer because of an impulse decision. 

_Simon, what should I do?_

_Don’t tell them. I’ll distract them and you attempt to steal the car._

_You could get shot!_

_Better one life than hundreds._

Markus didn’t want to do it, but he trusted the older android to make the right move. He knew Simon had it all figured out, but his analysis clearly didn’t display the same results, unless Simon was planning a suicide mission. 

His eyes found Simon’s bright blue ones. 

_One  
Two  
THREE_

Simon ducked under the guard’s gun and pinned him against the truck, chocking him with his handcuffs. Markus wriggled his way out of his captors’ hands and kicked the gun out of one’s hand and avoiding the gunshot of the other. A quick jab in the stomach made the other guard drop his gun and topple over in pain. He turned to the first guard again and snatched the gun off of the ground, effectively making him drop to his knees in defense. 

He heard a thud from behind him and spotted Simon dragging his offender’s body over to the one Markus had just knocked out. “You alright?” Markus nodded to his legs. “Ever the worried mother hen,” Simon muttered under his breath before responding with a simple “Yeah, you?”

Markus nodded, cutting the chains of his handcuffs with a gunshot. He got the key from one of the men currently unconscious, unlocking it. Simon stood behind him, leaning against the frame of the car. Markus made his way over to him and took off his handcuffs as well. “Thank you, Markus,” Simon shot him a shy smile, making Markus’s synthetic heart flutter.

He hacked the car with a simple press of his exposed palm. The doors unlocked and they slipped inside the warm compartment. Markus started the engine and let the car drive itself until they were on a steady road again. 

They drove in comfortable silence, but Markus’s curiosity got the best of him. “Say, what were you about to tell me back there?”

“Oh… Well it’s not that important,” Simon leaned further back in his seat in a desperate attempt to just melt through the fabric and leave, but he knew Markus wouldn’t give up without a fight. A peaceful fight that is, but a fight nonetheless. He tried to change the subject instead. “Perhaps we should find shelter for the night.”

................

They arrived soon later at what seemed like an abandoned theme park. Most of the rides were completely broken down, almost to the point where they couldn’t recognize what they had originally been. 

Markus had the feeling someone was watching them as they made their way around the park. There weren’t many places to seek shelter since most of the attractions were outside. 

What he found strange was a small building by a carousel, which seemingly already housed someone. The faint glow of what seemed like a fireplace shone out the windows, illuminating the snow with a warm tint. 

“Looks like we aren’t the first ones here,” Markus pointed out. Simon hummed in agreement and made his way over to the door. He grabbed the door handle but flinched away at the sound of a scream. Following were hundreds of footsteps and quiet voices. 

“Didn’t we evacuate all the EM400 androids working here?”

“Doesn’t look like it. The scream didn’t sound like an EM400 though.” Markus looked in the window but couldn’t get a good look because of the drawn blinds. Simon stood beside the door so that the glass frame wouldn’t expose him.

“All EM400 it seems,” He scanned the room as well as he could with the limited vision. “Well, there is another model there as well, but I can’t see it clearly enough to determine what type it is.” He stepped away from the window and opened the door, a determined look on his face as he strode inside. 

Inside, around 10 EM400 androids sat in front of the lit fireplace, while 6 others sat by the wall with an unrecognizable android cuddled up against them. It shook in their arms, and the other androids spoke softly to calm it down. 

One of the androids rose and caressed the scared android’s cheek, muttering “I’ll be right back, sunshine,” before heading in their direction. Even though all the androids looked the same, he was sporting a red and black shirt instead of the typical all black, and his right arm was torn off at the elbow. “What business do you have here?” His voice didn’t seem threatening but rather had a cautious tone to it. 

“We just need a shelter for the night. We got taken away by some army guards and this was the nearest location.” Simon stepped forwards and removed the skin on his hand to show he was an android, urging Markus to do the same. “We’ll leave if we are causing a disturbance,” Simon added, giving Markus a quick glance. 

“You’re welcome to stay if you want to. We are happy to have guests!” he exclaimed happily. “Our name is Jerry” he turned to the android in the corner whose head had peeked out curiously from his hood. “That is our partner Ralph. He’s cautious of strangers. Bad memories from things in the past.” Markus spotted the scarring on the android’s face and understood where he came from. 

“You must be cold. Come and sit down by the fire! We’ll find some blankets,” another Jerry rose to his feet and jogged to a side room to find blankets. The other Jerrys made a gap for the two to sit down.

They first then realized that the cold had taken a toll on them, as the snow started to melt off their clothes and drip onto the floor. Soon after, Jerry came back with a blanket he draped over the two androids. 

“You can stay for as long as you want,” the Jerry on their left them commented. “It was lonely here before Ralph came and having other androids here will surely make out time more enjoyable!” the android on their left added. 

“For how long has the park been abandoned?” Simon asked, wrapping the blanket tighter around himself, but leaving enough for Markus. 

The Jerrys all hummed unison. “About 2 years,” they said with accurate synchronization, all tilting their heads at the same time. One of them leaned forward and threw a plank into the fireplace. “The humans that worked here left us to rust. We still don’t know why it shut down since none of us got informed before we got turned off.”

“Humans come here from time to time, but we are usually able to hide until they leave.” Some of the Jerrys had noticeable damages such as scratched skin, missing limbs, and something resembling frostbite. 

“Humans did this to you?” Markus pointed at his missing eye and scratched forehead. The android nodded, sighing. 

“We were made to make people happy, but some have other views on what’s entertainment.” He stated, gaze dropping to the floor. 

Behind them came a thud and rapid footsteps. The android who had previously hidden away in the far corner hugged Jerry from behind.

“Jeremy, you know you’re not allowed to be sad!” Ralph nuzzled closer to the android and kissed his cheek. Jerry, or rather Jeremy, perked up immediately with a bright smile. 

“Thank you, Ralph!” He twisted his body to kiss the other android gently. “Thank you for making us happy,” With his smile growing wider, the other EM400s also seemed to lighten up. Markus guessed it had to be because of their shared minds or just the positive aura that now flowed in the room.

Before he knew it, they were all joined in a group hug that lasted way too long to be normal. They had lived alone for years with no one but clones of themselves, so maybe physical affection was something they all longed for, no matter in what form given.

He felt Simon rest his head on his shoulder as he had done earlier. His system started to heat up again, and he knew it was not because of the 16 other androids huddled around them. It was because a certain PL600 was currently humming happily in the crook of his neck. 

After lord knows how long, they started separating and occupying themselves with tasks. Most of them stayed and made a blanket fort with Ralph, who bounced on his feet as they gathered up blankets and pillows. 

Markus did not dare move or give any signal that might get misinterpreted by Simon to move off his shoulder. The Jerry they got to know as Jeremy, gave them a knowing look and left their view. Markus’s face flushed blue.

“S-Simon?” Markus took a deep breath as his system threatened to overheat. Simon didn’t respond and Markus noted that he had gone into sleep mode. Knowing that Simon could wake up with the slightest of movement, he kept still to the point where he was unsure if his thirium pump was even beating anymore. 

“You like him, don’t you?” a Jerry wearing a cap asked, startling Markus. Still, he didn’t budge. 

Markus did a quick double-take to see if Simon was still off before giving a careful nod. He didn’t even need to think about why. He knew why, and nothing could change the way he felt. 

He thought back to what Simon had tried to say to him in the truck that got cut short when those guards had thrown them out. What could be so outrageous that possibly would make Markus like him less? Murder perhaps? Or that he was an undercover spy for the police?

A part of him wanted it to be a love confession, but another part of him shut him down by saying it was something more sinister. Either way, Markus could never dislike Simon. 

“Yeah, I do.” Markus carefully wrapped his arm around Simon’s waist. It was a risky move, but the extreme artificial oxytocin kick was worth it. 

“Have you told him yet?” Cap Jerry chirped, almost bursting in happiness. Markus would assume they were made to mimic the energy of children since they were the main target of their creation. At the same time, they had to act more like an adult around other grown-ups, but Markus could see what they preferred in terms of behavior. 

“One day, maybe. When I’m sure he likes me back.” Markus looked down at the sleeping form in his arms. Simon’s face looked gentle and carefree. His eyelashes rested like butterflies against his skin, and Markus wanted nothing else than to kiss every single one of them. 

Cap Jerry patted his un-personed shoulder and rose to his feet. “By the sight, we’d say that day will come soon.” He winked, trotting over to his clones and partner in the newly built blanket fort. 

Markus took a risk by intertwining his and Simon’s fingers. Instead of Simon pulling away and scolding him, he instead snuggled up closer to Markus and buried his face in Markus’s neck. Markus’s breath hitched in his throat. 

Once he lifted his gaze from Simon, he noticed that they were alone in the room. He heard laughing from outside and spotted the androids playing in the snow. 

Maybe that one day would come today?

“Simon, wake up,” He shook Simon until he opened his icy blue eyes. He blinked a few times before noticing the position they were in and untangled himself from Markus’s embrace in a frenzy.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that,” Simon rushed out, to Markus’s disappointment. All the courage he had built up came crashing down on him, but he wasn’t going to back down now. 

“Simon, I… What were you going to tell me earlier?” Simon turned away from him and tightened his fists. 

“It’s not important, honestly,” he tried to get out of the conversation like he had done when getting here, but Markus was having none of it. “I want to know” Markus insisted, making Simon bite his lip, unsure of how to proceed. 

He took a deep, but an unnecessary breath before starting. “You told me everything about your past, so I think it’s only fair I tell mine...”

“I was a household android for the Philips family. You may have heard of the android that recently killed the entire family and jumped off a roof?” Markus nodded, recalling he had seen it on the news some time ago. “We worked for the same family. His name was Daniel, and he was favored by the child we were sitting, Emma.”

“After some time, they realized they only needed one, so they reset me and put me on sale again. But something went wrong in the resetting process and I had my memories intact. I got sold off to a new family, but they returned me to Cyberlife to get me destroyed after they realized I was dysfunctional.”

“I escaped to the nearest android store and tried to blend in with the others. Eventually, I got sold again. They were nice and accepted me into their family. I loved them…” Simon smiled at the memory of the three small children running around the living room, laughing at the top of their lungs.

“They made me feel alive and realized that I had feelings, despite everyone telling me I couldn’t.”

“One day the father of the house came home after being fired from his job at the ship we use as Jericho. He was outraged, and we all did our best to comfort him. We thought he had recovered after a few weeks, but he started to act more violent as he found out he had been replaced with an android.”

“He started taking red ice.” Simon tore his eyes from Markus, tears starting to spill. “He used syringes to extract thirium from my system to enhance the drug. It made him aggressive and he would often punch me if I stood too straight.”

That explained the hunched over position Markus had gotten used to seeing Simon in. He had never really given it any thought and assumed it was just because he found that pose comfortable. Finding out the truth tore at his heart. 

He turned to Simon, whose emotions were flooding over as he broke into a sob. Markus closed the gap between them and engulfed the other android in a hug. 

“After almost 2 years I couldn’t stand it anymore. I left a note for the children and left. I still feel guilty for leaving them with him,” Simon cried into Markus’s shoulder. “I had to run away, or else I have no idea what I would have done, and I didn’t want to resort to violence.”

“I had no idea where to go, so I ran to the ship in Ferndale, as I knew the ship was abandoned. I realized that many other androids were abused by their owners, so I helped them deviate to break free from their misery.”

“They had nowhere to go, so I lead them to the ship where we tried to fix each other up.” Simon pulled back from Markus’s tight embrace, tears still rolling down his cheeks. Markus wiped the tears away with his thumbs and he even dared to cup Simon’s cheeks. “I couldn’t watch them get abused by their owners, though I understand that some humans are good.”

“I know my previous owners always had good intentions, but it seemed like only the children understood that we are alive too. The children’s happiness made me happy.” 

“Simon…” Markus was heartbroken. With so much pain, Simon had always chosen to spare the humans, contrary to North.

“What I’m trying to say is…” Simon paused, looking for words, but even with his multi-language dictionary, he couldn’t find the best combination of words. “Um… Well… I was the first android to deviate.”

“You’re… RA9…” Markus realized. Every time someone at Jericho had talked about having been saved by RA9, Markus always thought they had adapted some kind of religion to have faith as humans had. 

“Technically… yes,” Simon took a deep breath and clenched the other's hand. He looked up; voice quiet. “Please, Markus. I don’t know what it means. I think I had a virus that turned me deviant, and that I transmitted that to the other androids who I came in contact with, turning them deviant too.”

“So many people have been killed because of me…” 

Markus grabbed a fistful of the jacket Simon was wearing. His emotions were on the verge of boiling over, but he couldn’t reconcile if it was sadness, pity, or just the overwhelming love he felt. He wanted to comfort him until the smile on his lips never disappeared. Make him laugh until his systems struggled to cool him down. Oh, how he wanted to kiss those lips.

He can’t do that, of course. He couldn’t ruin their perfectly good friendship because of his stupid little crush. He didn’t even know if he could categorize it as a crush anymore, as the attraction had been present since the first time Simon had spoken to him. 

_Welcome to Jericho_

He remembered the soft smile Simon gave him after he had fallen face-first into Jericho. He would give anything to see Simon smile like that again, but his only hindrance was not knowing how to. 

“Simon…” Markus cupped Simon’s cheek. His heart was racing in his chest in fear that Simon would flinch away and look at him in disgust. However, he didn’t, but rather leaned into the touch and closed his eyes.

“You have every reason to be angry at humans, but you have proven time and time again to be a caring and responsible person. You have helped me along the way to equal rights, and I know for a fact that I couldn’t have done it without you.” 

It was true. North and Josh could never agree on anything and they would have argued until the entirety of android-kind had been wiped out. Simon had been there for Markus when everyone else had given up and had lost hope. Simon had believed in him, no matter how dire the times had been. Simon had been there for him, but he hadn’t been there for Simon.

“You know you can always come to me if you need help. I know it is overwhelming, all this, but you don’t need to go through it alone. We have each other.”

“You shared your secret. Now I want to share mine.” Today is the day. Something changed in the way Simon looked at him. Blue met mismatched eyes. If he had paint and a canvas, he would paint Simon in the exact same pose he had now, gently draped over the floor with Markus’s hand on his cheek. His body was illuminated in a soft glow by the fireplace, and he looked so very young. 

Before he was able to stop himself, he leaned down and connected their lips. It was just how he had imagined. Overwhelming, warm, perfect. _Perfect_.

Well, it would have been perfect hadn’t it been for Simon starting to cry. He broke the kiss almost as quickly as it had started, staring at Markus with wide eyes. 

“Simon, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-” his apology got cut short by Simon wrapping his arms around his neck and pulling him in for another one. Their teeth clashed together for a brief moment, but none of them cared. 

Simon deepened the kiss by placing a hand on the back of Markus’s neck, angling him until they could explore each other. Markus’s hands went to his sides and then up to his face. He deactivated his skin, making Simon unconsciously do the same. 

The connection made them feel every emotion the other was feeling. Memories, experiences, feelings, love, love, love. 

After a while, which was still too short for their liking, they broke the kiss but stayed as close to each other as they could. 

“I love you, Markus.”

Markus laughed against Simon’s neck. He had wanted to hear those words since he had realized he had fallen for the other android, even going so far as to sample Simon’s voice, and telling it to himself when he was alone. He had to admit it sounded creepy, but he had to hear it to keep himself going. However, hearing Simon say it was completely different because it sounded _warm_.

“I love you more than anything else, Simon. Even my own life,” Markus kissed Simon’s cheek. He would abuse his power to kiss Simon, as he never wanted to stop doing it. 

“You can do it as much as you want to, and I’ll say it every minute for the rest of our lives,” Simon muttered, and Markus realized they were still interfacing. He had basically just admitted to being overly obsessed with the other android and having dreamt about him. In more scenarios than he wanted to admit.

He hid face in embarrassment, finding it tempting to sink into the floorboards and becoming a part of the ground. He hadn’t meant to think about it, but it just slipped out. Every emotion was still on display, and he could feel that Simon wasn’t mad, just highly amused.

_Having wet dreams about me, Markus?_

Markus’s face went deep blue at the remark, making Simon laugh wholeheartedly. “I’m just joking with you,” Simon smiled and kissed Markus’s temple. Markus wasn’t sure how it was supposed to feel, but he assumed it felt comforting. His system was sent into an overdrive and everything seemed to be buzzing inside his head. 

Simon went over to open the door for several Jerrys who were covered in snow. They all thanked him as they went inside to dry off and melt the snow off of themselves. 

The last two Jerrys carried Ralph in their arms, who had passed out. 

“Is he alright?”

“Don’t worry! He tends to shut down whenever he gets too excited!” Jerry explained, giving Simon a wide smile. “Just a few minutes now and he’ll be in tip-top condition again,” The other Jerry added. 

Simon watched them sit down by the fire again, some of them hugging Ralph until his system was online again.

“Glad to see it worked out for you guys!” Cap Jerry nudged Markus’s side and raised an eyebrow. 

“Wait… How did you know?” The androids hadn’t been inside while they had kissed, so how would they have known what happened? Sure, they had a hivemind, but it was just between the EM400s. Right?

Cap Jerry pointed at the window. Just in their line of view, the blinds were open. 

“You were spying on us?” Markus grit his teeth. It had been such a special moment between them that they shared. ALONE. For no one else to watch. 

“In our defense, we were passing by the window when you happened to kiss.” Jerry threw up his hands and backed away into the crowd of Jerrys. It was definitely the strangest conversation-leaving method Markus had seen in his life. An effective method, he had to give him that, but strange nonetheless. 

A tap on his shoulder made him turn. Instead of Simon, a smaller android stood in his place and fumbled with his hands. “Ralph wonders if you would like to stay with us?” he questioned. 

“I’m sorry, but we have to get back to Jericho,” Markus replied. He saw the android deflate in disappointment, so he quickly added. “But I promise we will visit!”

Ralph perked up right away and hugged Markus. Markus stared wide-eyed at Simon, who just teased him with a smirk. He remained in the hug until someone called Ralph over, sensing Markus’s minor distress. Ralph ran over to the group of 4 Jerrys and engulfed them in an embrace instead, them being way happier about it than Markus. 

“Now we know we can trust you,” A blue-shirted Jerry appeared at his side. He swore the Jerrys were everywhere he looked. Markus gave him a questioning look and the Jerry explained. “He is better than us at spotting if people coming here are threats or not, so him warming up to you is a good sign.”

Markus just nodded behind his confusion. The android was a WR600, a gardening android. They had no reason to read people, contrary to the EM400s who had to deal with hundreds of people each day. He guessed it must have been something about humans attacking him, but he remained unsure.

“Markus?” Simon called his name quietly, even with the noise of the others in the room. The soft glow from the fireplace illuminated Simon’s gentle features perfectly. Markus had never seen him look so at ease, as he often looked stressed or even tired. The android constantly had to worry about the things happening around them, and always made sure to update everyone on their progress to freedom. 

It was refreshing to see him like this. A warm smile, warm body, warm everything, and Markus didn’t want to be cold anymore. 

He didn’t realize he had been staring until Simon waved his hand in front of his face. “Markus, are you alright?” his expression went back to being worried, to Markus’s dismay. 

Instead of responding, he swiftly leaned forwards to meet the other’s lips. Now it was his turn to cry as he burrowed his head in Simon’s shoulder and sobbed. 

Simon held him while leading him to the window to sit down. “It’s okay Markus. Let it all out.” He whispered and ran his hand up and down the other’s back. “Take your time.” Placing a soft kiss on Markus’s head made him shudder and grip onto Simon’s jacket harder. 

Once Markus had somehow come to his senses, he lifted his head off Simon’s and stared deep into his gentle icy blue eyes. He rested his head against Simon’s and took in it all. Feelings were overwhelming, no matter if it was a human or an android. Still, feelings for androids tended to amplify, since they weren’t used to having them. Labeling the feelings was harder, especially when he had no idea what he actually felt. 

And love. Love was a weird feeling. He enjoyed it more than anything, but there was a part of him that told him it was in his programming to be caring for others. He cared for Jericho, and all of its members, but it was a different kind of care when it came to Simon. He had no desire to hold the others in his arms for hours, but for some strange reason, it was exactly what he wanted to do with Simon. 

Take years of abuse and mistreating and turn it into overwhelming amounts of love to make up for it all. That’s what he wanted to do and intended to do once they got back to Jericho and won the revolution. He would hold Simon’s hand while marching through the streets of Detroit. They would stand together and make the humans see that they too could love, that they could feel. 

Oh how he longed for freedom, and they were so close. It was only a matter of time where they could live together equals, humans, and androids.

He would spend every single day appreciating the world a little bit more. With Simon by his side, he knew he would be able to do it. 

“Simon…” A gentle touch, a soft caressing of his cheek. Freedom would be great if he got to feel that every day. 

“Shh, just. Just take a moment,” Simon always understood his frustrations, contrary to Josh and North who would constantly shout over each other with arguments for their opinion and against the other’s. Simon would either stand in the background or try to make them stop arguing so that they could work as a team. He would be on Markus’s side most of the time. He was a listener, which Markus appreciated. 

“I- I’m just happy,” Markus explained and felt a warm hand press against his cheek. Simon used his thumbs to wipe away Markus’s tears.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re beautiful?” Simon deactivated his skin to interface. He wanted Markus to know exactly how he felt. 

“Simon…” Markus saw every memory of himself via Simon. How he had always looked at Markus whenever he had turned his back, stealing glances when he thought Markus wasn’t looking. So much admiration and trust. How had he never noticed? “God, I love you so much Si,” Markus intended to return every look in the future. No more lingering glances and pining for love. 

“I love you too,” Simon kissed his cheek once more and stepped away once he saw Markus had stopped crying. “Of course, I do. Always,” he broke their connection, but a new connection in their hearts had occurred, so Markus didn’t mind. “Perhaps we should get some rest,” Simon suggested. “We need to be fully rested to get back to Jericho tomorrow."

“Sounds good to me,” Markus agreed. He borrowed one of the many blankets that were folded in a neat pile by the fort the Jerrys had made earlier. He made something resembling a bed and patted the space beside him for Simon to lay down on. 

He had never felt such happiness as he did when he got to hold Simon in his arms as they entered standby mode.

When they got back, they would win the revolution, and everyone would be free. The people at Jericho could stop living in the shadows and get themselves homes, start families, get a dog, get married, whatever they wanted.

He sent a quick message to North, informing her of their location and their situation. She was mildly pissed at him for not messaging her earlier but shrugged it off.

-And bring a truck. We’ll need the extra seats.


	3. Home

“Simon, there is someone I want you to meet.” Markus pushed the wheelchair into the clearing of the living room. 

“So, you’re the one who has stolen my son’s heart.” Carl Manfred looked at him with a stern expression, but Markus had told him that’s just what he looks like normally, so he assumed the man was in a good mood. 

“Technically, he has my heart,” Simon recalled him pleading Markus to take his heart during the protest. He still had no idea where they had gotten the heart he had now, but he dedicated it to Markus. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

Markus blushed as he rounded the wheelchair to stand by his partner. He looked over at Markus, who was panicking mildly as he waited for his ~~previous owner’s~~ dad’s approval.

Carl wheeled over to Simon. “What was your previous occupation?” 

Simon hated reflecting on the past but found himself quickly skimming through previous memories as if he had forgotten why he had been created. “Household assistant, sir.”

Carl hummed, looking between the two androids. Markus looked almost distressed, internally his fans ran on their highest speed. 

“Jesus Christ, Markus. You look like you’re about to pass out,” Carl scoffed when Markus’s eyes went wide and stuttered to come up with an excuse as to why he seemed so nervous. “If you’re waiting for some sort of approval then you won’t need it. Whatever makes you happy, son,”

“I-” Markus rarely was lost for words, so he settled for a simple, but powerful “thank you.”

“I guess I will have to cancel the new request for an android then. You know this old man can’t do everything on his own,” he commented to himself, but with every intention of Markus hearing it. “Will you be staying here?”

“If it's not too much of a bother,” Simon spoke softly just like he had done at that abandoned theme park.

“I presume some extra help won’t hurt,” He opened the door to his studio, but stopped in the doorframe. “Welcome to the family Simon,” he added before disappearing into the studio.

……………..

Markus found Simon and Carl in the kitchen, singing some old song, and making breakfast. Simon wore his cliché “kiss the cook” apron and didn’t seem to notice him entering the room. He swayed his hips from side to side with the song playing, which Markus found out was Dancing Queen by ABBA. Who even listened to ABBA anymore?

Markus watched entranced as Simon cocked his hip when he placed another pancake onto the neat stack, topping it with a dash of syrup. He placed the plate in front of Carl, who in turn eagerly scoffed down the food, humming in approval. Simon went back to washing the pan he had used, quietly singing along with the song. 

Carl was about to greet him when he placed a finger over his lips, telling the man to stay quiet. He pointed to Simon, and Carl understood what he meant. 

He carefully inched over to where Simon stood doing the dishes, being quiet enough to not be noticed. Simon almost threw the pan when he felt hands tickling his sides. Even though androids weren’t ticklish, the domestic assistant- and household androids had the special feature. 

“Markus!” Simon laughed, dropping the pan into the sink to stop himself from hitting Markus with it. Markus attacked his sides and made Simon shrink in on himself to make his partner stop, but to no avail. Markus followed him all the way to the floor and pinned him down by sitting on his stomach. Simon slapped at his arms between shrieks of laughter. 

“Markus! I’m going to shut down if you continue like that!” Simon warned. Of course, it wasn’t true, but he feared his system was telling him to stop whatever was overloading his sensors. 

When Markus did eventually stop, he refused to move off of Simon, who was still pinned under him. “Please, I have to finish washing the dishes. It may be 2038, but they still won’t do themselves!” Simon tried to get Markus off him but gave up when he plopped down on top of him. “Seriously Markus,” he warned, but the other just hummed dismissively into his neck.

Simon craned his neck to see Carl looming over them with a curious smile. “Help me, Carl?” Simon tried to wiggle free from Markus’s grip but found himself unable to move. 

“I have never seen him act like this before, so enjoy it while it lasts,” Carl chuckled and wheeled away, leaving Simon stuck with his teddy bear of a boyfriend. 

“Markus, I swear I will-” he got cut off by a pair of lips grazing his own. Now, this was something he didn’t mind. He was eager to kiss back and managed to retract his arm from under Markus’s leg, placing it on his neck to deepen the kiss. 

Kissing was something they both found strange, and in the beginning, they hadn’t quite understood why it was so important to humans when it came to affection. Now they enjoyed it as if it was a bonus to their relationship. It was enjoyable for sure, but they would never understand it. 

They had lived at Carl’s house for about a month, but to Markus, it felt as if he had never left. Carl had tried to make Markus try painting again, which made him feel even more alive. He had painted a few things representing their victory for equal rights. It depicted both freedom, but also the stress of having to attend hundreds of meetings and conferences to speak with the humans. 

He wasn’t done yet, but they had definitely taken a step in the right direction, as many androids lived better lives without being bound to an owner. He was happy he could make a difference in the world. At his side was Simon, who had vowed to never leave him. When androids got the right to marry, they would be first in line. 

Simon. He had thought about him as he picked up another canvas. The memory of their time at Pirate’s cove popped up, just before they had shared their first kiss. 

That was what he wanted to paint, so he did. He remembered every detail, every speckle of color in Simon’s eyes. The warm glow that framed his face perfectly. Markus’s hand on his cheek. Everything. 

His paintbrush flowed with the lines of the canvas and made sure that every color was correct. It had to be perfect. It was too special not to be perfect.

He did as he had done before and closed his eyes, trusting his hands to make the right decisions for him.

“Amazing,” Carl had wheeled into the studio and settled beside Markus while he was painting. He admired the painting for a few moments before looking up at Markus. He was lost in the painting, watching Simon’s eyes intently. There was so much adoration in Markus’s eyes, and Carl knew it wasn’t because he was fond of the painting. 

“I heard they consider making marriage between androids legal,” Markus’s head whipped around at the information. “Just know you have my blessing.”

He stared dumbly at Carl, who in turn gave him a warm smile. “How did you-”

“Simon has been rambling on about it for the past week. I know you guys haven’t been together for very long, and normally I would have shut down the idea, but there is just something between the two of you that makes me believe you can make it work,”

“Thanks, dad!” Markus gave Carl a quick hug before running out of the studio. “Simon!”

Carl chuckled at the sight of his son being heads-over-heels for another person. A few months ago he would have scoffed at the idea of his android acting like a lovestruck fool, but with Simon in the house, he understood just how human the androids really were. 

He took one last look at the picture, seeing that Markus had titled the art piece. 

“Our Hearts Are Compatible” by Markus Manfred.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading! Leave a comment and tell me what you thought about it!


End file.
